Chapter 57: Journey
The next day, Kakashi was fortunate enough to wake up before Mei Terumi, avoiding the misfortune of being woken by a Water Release technique.
After packing their luggage, Kakashi woke the young woman. After yesterday's incident, the young woman would always sneak glances at the youth beside her but wouldn't dare to look him directly in the eyes. Her courage had suddenly regressed to that of a startled rabbit. When the youth occasionally caught her peeking, she would deliberately fall back a couple of steps to avoid his gaze.
"You're not very good at hiding your shyness."
"Shut up!"
Teasing the young woman as they walked, the silver-haired youth slowed his pace by two steps to wait for her. The young woman, shy again, quickened her pace. After this happened several times, Kakashi grabbed Mei Terumi's hand, disregarding her thoughts, and forcibly increased their speed.
Rouran was located in the southwestern part of the Land of Wind, in a desert area near the continent's edge. It was an oasis in that vast desert. Due to the existence of the Dragon Vein, the people there were able to survive.
This journey would take them through the border of the Land of Lightning, the Land of Rice Fields, the Land of Fire, the Land of Rivers or the Land of Rain, and finally the Land of Wind. Traveling across five countries during a time of war was fraught with danger. After obtaining the travel permit from the Land of Lightning, passing through the Land of Rice Fields wouldn't be a major issue. As long as they avoided the warring forces of Konoha and Kumogakure – Kakashi had heard that his teacher, Minato Namikaze, was currently clashing with Kumogakure in the Land of Rice Fields – it was best to be cautious in all matters.
Once they entered the Land of Fire, with the youth's knowledge of the terrain and his sensory abilities, bypassing patrol units would be simple. Next, it would be best to cross the Land of Fire at full speed within two days to reach the Land of Rivers. He was unfamiliar with the terrain of the Land of Rain, and it was too dangerous to consider.
Currently, Konoha and Sunagakure only had small-scale conflicts. Sunagakure's strength was currently at the bottom among the Five Great Nations; they would need to build up their forces to launch a large-scale war. Therefore, the Land of Rivers should be relatively safe.
Crossing the border of the Land of Rivers would lead them into the desert of the Land of Wind. Just like its name suggested, upon entering, they might encounter sandstorms capable of burying people. This environment would undoubtedly be another ordeal for Mei Terumi. Born in the Land of Water, she felt uncomfortable if she didn't see water for a day. Water Release also consumed chakra, and extracting moisture from the air in that dry desert, achieving even half its usual power would be a blessing.
To compensate for the lack of chakra, Kakashi had asked the Kumogakure supply depot for a large crate containing at least a thousand special super military ration pills, sealed in a scroll. Even the ninja distributing the supplies looked at him strangely.
Although military ration pills could quickly recover chakra and stamina, serving as wartime supplies, their taste was generally mediocre. Such a large quantity – was he planning to eat them as meals? Wasn't he afraid of eating until he vomited?
Kakashi's reasoning was actually quite sound. He himself could only consume a small amount of these military ration pills, but they weren't prepared for him in the first place, but for the young woman, Mei Terumi, whom he was currently leading.
In a situation where they couldn't find water in the desert, having the young woman consume military ration pills to recover chakra and perform Water Release – even if it only had the power of a water gun, it didn't matter, as long as there was water.
Kakashi himself hadn't trained much in Water Release; this was making the best use of things.
Mei Terumi didn't know how treacherous people could be, let alone that the youth beside her had such meticulous plans, already scheduling her to be a water dispenser in the desert.
The two had no time to appreciate the scenery along the journey. One was contemplating Rouran's possible reaction upon their arrival, while the other was still lost in love-struck fantasies.
The youth's goal was the Dragon Vein there; the young woman, however, treated this mission as a trip for the two of them.
Previously, sleeping on opposite sides of the same bed hadn't caused any psychological burden. But after the intense contemplation following the "dragonfly skimming the water" incident, the young woman decided that from now on, they would sleep in separate beds. Even if they slept together and did nothing, it wasn't acceptable. She had to be reserved. Before, she had always been the one actively dropping hints. Now that she finally saw a glimmer of success, she had to change her passive position and make him take the initiative. Otherwise, what would happen after they got married?
Kakashi's curse of "dying alone and unhappy" constantly echoed in Mei Terumi's mind. She even made a conjecture: if she hadn't met Kakashi, would she really have ended up as he described?
A faint sense of reality lingered in her heart. According to her own aesthetic standards and her current tendency to find no one else appealing besides Kakashi, this was highly probable.
"Can you really see a part of the future?"
"It depends on how you understand it. What do you think the future should be like? Is there a difference between your ideal future and reality?"
"My ideal future… I don't want to tell you."
"I can guess anyway. Don't worry, I won't laugh at you. Has anyone ever told you that whatever you want to say is written all over your face?"
Mei Terumi touched her cheek.
「Are my thoughts that easy to guess?」
"Before thinking about the future, recognizing reality is what you should do. The future is illusory; only when you are strong enough will destiny and the future be in your own hands."
"Don't talk in such platitudes!"
The young woman puffed out her cheeks. "You always make me feel like you're an old man."
"I told you long ago, you're too young. Everyone perceives reality based on their own knowledge and understanding, yet they are bound by it, and they call this reality. But knowledge and cognition are very difficult things to define. That reality might just be an illusion. People all live within their self-awareness, don't you think so?"
"Mystical nonsense."
The young woman didn't understand why Kakashi suddenly spouted such a string of profound truths; it seemed he always liked to lecture her.
"The real world is the world of ideas; ideas are the origin of the world. Maybe in a few years, I won't think this way, but right now, this statement is correct."
"Ideas?"
"Understanding the world isn't difficult; what's difficult is how to change the world."
Kakashi's profound tone, coupled with his current expressionless face, was full of mystery, leaving the young woman at a loss for words to describe it, but it didn't stop her from being slightly infatuated.
If she knew the term "putting on an act," she would definitely blurt it out now.
"After all that talk, it was all nonsense, wasn't it?"
"You could say that. Let me tell you something. Do you remember what I said when we first met?"
"What?"
The young woman recalled the scene where she, battered and bruised, was rescued from the exam by the youth.
"I forgot."
"Did you really forget?"
Mei Terumi felt like she remembered every detail clearly, yet she couldn't recall Kakashi saying anything important at that time.
"I still remember. When you announced your name, I told you I had merely heard your name before."
The feeling of being completely seen through gave Mei Terumi a shiver.
"Really?"
"Really."
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